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There are few details about the actual accident, but the Air Force has confirmed that one of the pilots of the Thunderbirds demonstration team was fatally injured Thursday in a training accident. More recent info disclosed that Thunderbird #4, Maj. Stephen Del Bagno, an accomplished pilot with more than 3,500 hours of flight time was lost. SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity safely and successfully completed her first supersonic, rocket-powered flight Thursday. VSS Unity took off at 8:02 am local time with Mark “Forger” Stucky and Dave Mackay in the cockpit, attached to the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, piloted today by Mike Masucci and Nicola Pecile. The mated vehicles climbed to a launch altitude of around 46,500 ft and executed a clean release of Unity. After a few seconds, Unity’s rocket motor was brought to life and the pilots aimed the spaceship into an 80 degree climb, accelerating to Mach 1.87 during the 30 seconds of rocket burn. The hybrid rocket powered Unity through the transonic range and into supersonic flight for the first time. Great Lakes Airlines has indefinitely suspended its scheduled passenger flight service. The airline ceased operations on March 26 with no warning to ticket holders. The airline was a regional carrier flying routes out of Cheyenne, WY using Beechcraft and Embraer turboprop airplanes. The company said it was closing after 40 years of servicing regional airports in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States. The carrier said that the pilot qualification rule passed in 2013 by Congress led it to cut flying hours and routes as it became more difficult to hire and retain qualified pilots. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

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